Breaking the barrier of bullying in schools

How would you typically react if you witness a child being bullied? Would you be inclined to ignore it or would you intervene in some way? 

Burger King, a famous fast-food company, conducted a thought provoking experiment in which they staged a bullying incident in one of their restaurants. Regrettably, most people chose to ignore it when the vulnerable and young were being bullied.  

However, they were immediately enraged when the restaurant performed another experiment - distributing flattened burgers to them. 

Experimental data reveals 95% of individuals will appeal for justice when they are personally affected, but only 12% will defend those being bullied. Worldwide, bullying cases in schools affect 30% of pupils and cause long-term harm to victims. 

Recently, our school aligned with the UK’s Anti-Bullying Week 2023, where approximately 80% of schools were estimated to have participated in related activities, Hiba Academy Hangzhou held its own annual Anti-Bullying Week. This enriching initiative, deeply rooted in our values and robust Wellbeing curriculum, featured engaging activities and lessons that aimed to educate and promote the Hiba value of kindness among pupils. 

We incorporate lessons and activities that promote empathy, respect, and kindness. We also encourage our pupils to speak up if they witness or experience bullying, and to seek help from a trusted adult if needed.  

As parents and educators, we have a responsibility to model kindness for our children. We can do this by showing them how to be patient, understanding, and respectful towards others. We can also encourage them to reach out to those who may be struggling, and to offer a helping hand whenever possible.    

I hope that you will join us in promoting kindness at our school and in our community. Together, we can create a culture of kindness that will benefit our pupils for years to come.  

We have an embedded anti-bullying culture within school and this links to our school values of showing kindness in everything we do. We held workshops in class, and ran activities to educate children about the different types of bullying, how to recognise it and how to eliminate it by working together. Teachers have been reading stories with a theme linked to overcoming bullying. Pupils were taught how to stand up to bullying and how to seek help if they see a member of their peer group being bullied.  

In conclusion, Anti-Bullying Week and all its designed activities at Hiba Academy Hangzhou reflected our commitment to developing well-rounded individuals and successfully reinforced the importance of empathy and compassion in creating a positive and inclusive school community. By taking small but meaningful actions, the pupils were able to make a significant impact on each other's lives and contribute to building a school environment that flourishes with respect and understanding.